Bright Stripes

What Bright Stripes does

Bright Stripes is a Bloomfield, New Jersey-based craft company founded in 2019 by Sabre Mrkva and Eric von Stein that designs, produces, and distributes DIY craft kits and creative toys aimed primarily at children. The company operates a portfolio of branded product lines including iHeartArt, Wish*Craft, Nimble Knitter, Richard Scarry's Busy World, Snack Knit Kits, Puffy Pages, Magic Scrunch Pillows, Paint & Grow, and Chenille Cuties, with prices ranging from $5.99 entry-level kits to $119.99 specialty kits. Its core proprietary technology asset is a patented adjustable knitting loom sold under the Nimble Knitter brand. The company also operates a free community platform called the Bright Stripes Craft Club.

The business runs a dual-channel go-to-market: direct-to-consumer sales through its own e-commerce site at brightstripes.co and wholesale distribution to independent toy stores. Products are reportedly placed in hundreds of retail locations across the United States, Canada, and Latin/South America. Revenue mechanics are based entirely on one-time unit purchases; no paid subscription tier exists, despite the Craft Club community platform being positioned as an engagement layer rather than a recurring revenue stream.

The company is structured as a private LLC with a small team (1–10 employees) and has supplemented its working capital with a $2.25 million asset-based lending facility from TAB Bank executed in January 2026, including a $1 million inventory subline. Strategic partnerships include a licensing agreement with the Richard Scarry estate for the Busy World line, a cause-marketing partnership with Art Feeds on the iHeartArt sub-brand, and a supplier relationship with Buzzy for seeds.

Name

Bright Stripes

Legal name

Bright Stripes LLC

Website

https://brightstripes.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bright Stripes is a Bloomfield, New Jersey craft company that designs and sells DIY craft kits and creative toys for children through direct-to-consumer e-commerce and wholesale distribution to independent toy retailers across the US, Canada, and Latin America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Craft Kits & Creative Activity Toys

NAICS

Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (459120), Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912), Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers (459)

SIC

Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)

akta.pro primary industry

DIY Craft Kits & Project Kits Retail (CRALACAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Kids Crafts & Educational Craft Kits Retail (CRALACAG), General Arts & Crafts Supplies Retail (CRALACAA)

Keywords

• DIY craft kits
• Children's creative toys
• Knitting kits
• Art supplies
• Pretend play

Headquarters

HQ city

Bloomfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: One-time purchase of creative activity kits and art supplies. Products include craft kits, art sets, paint-by-numbers, knitting kits, jewelry-making kits, and activity books sold at various price points from $5.99 to $119.99.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Bright Stripes designs, manufactures, and sells DIY craft kits and creative activity products for children ages 3 and up. The portfolio spans knitting kits (Snack Knit Kits, Itty Bitty Knit Kits), pipe cleaner crafts (Chenille Cuties), paint-and-grow kits, water-activated paper crafts (Puffy Pages), jewelry-making kits, pottery kits, squishy pillows, and licensed character crafts under the Richard Scarry's Busy World brand. Products are sold directly to consumers through brightstripes.co and wholesale to independent toy stores, gift shops, and bookstores across the US, Canada, Latin America, and South America.

Product overview

Bright Stripes is a creative activity kit company founded in 2019 by Sabre Mrkva and Eric von Stein, producing DIY craft kits for children and adults. The product portfolio includes multiple sub-brands and product lines: iHeartArt (premium art supplies with paint by numbers, watercolors, markers, and sketching supplies), Wish*Craft (DIY craft kits including pottery, soap making, jewelry, and print making), Snack Knit Kits and Itty Bitty Knit Kits (food-themed knitting kits), Nimble Knitter (adjustable knitting looms), DIY Chenille Cuties (pipe cleaner crafts), Puffy Pages (water-activated paper crafts), Magic Scrunch Pillows (squishy stuffed pillows), Paint & Grow (paint and plant growing kits), Decorate-a-Cake Jewelry Box, Puffy Sticker 3D Playhouse, Richard Scarry's Busy World Crafts (licensed crafts), Watercolor Journals, Color Craze coloring pages, Deluxe Picnic Sets, Porcelain Tea Sets, and the Bright Stripes Craft Club membership program. The company also offers crochet kits, Paper Mache kits, and Shrinkadoo Jewelry kits. Products target ages 3 through adult and emphasize screen-free, hands-on creative play with sensory and sustainable materials.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• iHeartArt: Premium quality affordable art materials line for young artists that donates 5% of profits to Art Feeds' international program supporting children in Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, Ghana and Haiti.
• Bright Stripes Craft Club
• Richard Scarry's Busy World Crafts
• Wish*Craft
• Nimble Knitter
• Chenille Cuties
• Snack Knit Kits
• Puffy Pages
• Magic Scrunch Pillows
• Paint & Grow
• Decorate-a-Cake

Products and services

• Paper Mache All Day Paper mache craft project kit for ages 8+.
• Shrinkadoo Jewelry Shrinkable material jewelry making kit for kids.
• iHeartArt Sub-brand offering premium-quality, affordable art supplies for young artists, including techniques guides, mixed media kits, paint-by-numbers, watercolors, markers, sketching supplies, and toddler activity sets.
• Wish*Craft DIY craft kit line including Flower Power Pottery, Flower Power DIY Soaps, Wood + Resin Charm Jewelry, DIY Mystical Jewelry Studio, and Print Making Studio for kids and adults.
• Snack Knit Kits Food-themed DIY knitting kits featuring characters made from knitted rectangles, including Boba Buddy, Cupcake Cutie, Lil' Dumplin, Key Lime Pie, Watermelonie, Toast-n-Jammie, Juicy Cutie, and Shirley Temple.
• Nimble Knitter Adjustable knitting loom system with patented bamboo base and moveable puzzle piece enabling different tube widths. Includes the standalone loom and the Squishee Stuffies kit.
• DIY Chenille Cuties Pipe cleaner craft kits for making animal-themed bag danglers and accessories, including Bunny Babe, Beary Sweet, Cutie Cats, Puppies, Ducks, and Unicorns.
• Puffy Pages Water-activated paper craft set featuring sea animals that puff up when water is added; includes 18 sea animals, 4 three-dimensional scenes, stickers, and a fold-out storage pouch.
• Magic Scrunch Pillows Squishy stuffed decorative pillows in various shapes including Kitty, Unicorn, Puppy, Cupcake, and Axolotl.
• Paint & Grow Paint and grow planting kits combining painting and gardening, featuring ceramic planters shaped as food characters (Strawberry, Banana, Orange) with seeds and growing medium. Seeds guaranteed to grow by partner Buzzy.
• Decorate-a-Cake Jewelry Box Ceramic cake-shaped jewelry box that kids decorate with whipped icing clay, sprinkles, and a clay cherry using frosting nozzles and icing tools.
• Richard Scarry's Busy World Crafts Licensed craft kits featuring characters from Richard Scarry's Busy World including Lowly Worm, Mr. Frumble, and Bananas Gorilla, with paint and sticker activities.
• Watercolor Journals Travel watercolor sets including Woodland Wildlife and Forest Flora themes, featuring watercolors, refillable water brush, felt tip pen, and illustrated nature scenes on watercolor paper in magnetically sealed portfolios.
• Itty Bitty Knit Kits Mini food-themed knitting kits including Sushi Cat, Mushie, Citrus Sweetie, Everything Bagel, Bees Knees, Bloom Flower, Loopy, Strawberry Matcha, Sweet Pickle, Mz Kitty, Lemon Square, and many more.
• Puffy Sticker 3D Playhouse Whimsical three-dimensional sticker playhouse sets featuring themes like Mushroom Cottage and Around the Barn.
• Color Craze Themed coloring page collections including Princess and Cuties designs for travel and on-the-go activities.
• Deluxe Picnic Sets Pretend play picnic sets with 25 pieces in carry cases, available in Pastel and Primary color options for preschool children.
• Porcelain Tea Sets Classic porcelain tea sets for pretend play, available in standard and Pink versions, each with carry case for preschool-aged children.
• Crochet Pouch Kits Crochet instruction kits featuring Petal Power Pouch and Strawberry Pouch designs with PDF instructions.
• Make & Paint Gingerbread Clay Ornaments Gingerbread-themed clay ornament crafting and painting kit for kids.
• Dial-A-Design Bracelet Wheel Spinning wheel device for creating unique bracelets with adjustable design patterns.
• Bright Stripes Craft Club Free community membership offering DIY craft videos, printable coloring pages, and access to the crafter community showcasing projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• Products sold in hundreds of retail locations across the US, Canada, Latin America, and South America

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Art FeedscoreStrategic or Co-development PartneriHeartArt, Bright Stripes' art line sub-brand, donates 5% of profits to Art Feeds' international division. Art Feeds is a non-profit that supplies art lessons, training, and art materials to children in need. The international program currently operates in Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, Ghana, and Haiti.
• BuzzysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBuzzy supplies seeds for Bright Stripes' Paint & Grow kit line. Seeds are guaranteed to grow, and if they don't sprout, Buzzy will send a new seed packet for free. Seeds typically sprout in 7-14 days with proper sunlight and watering.
• Richard ScarrycoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicensed partnership with Richard Scarry's Busy World. Bright Stripes creates crafts and activities featuring beloved characters like Lowly Worm, Mr. Frumble, and Bananas Gorilla. Products include Art on the Go! kits, Paint Pages, and other craft sets.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• KiwiCo: Subscription and one-off DIY activity kits for kids spanning arts, crafts, science, and engineering. Closest direct competitor in the curated kids' craft kit category and a benchmark for the subscription-plus-DTC model Bright Stripes could evolve into.
• Klutz (Scholastic): Long-established activity and craft kit brand owned by Scholastic, with strong bookstore and specialty retail distribution. Directly comparable product mix (kid craft kits, knitting, jewelry) and similar retail channel footprint.
• ALEX Toys: ALEX Brands portfolio (Alex, POOF, Slinky, Ideal) makes craft kits, jewelry-making, and activity kits for kids. Highly comparable product set (DIY jewelry, pottery, knitting-adjacent kits) and channels through specialty and mass retailers.
• Channel Craft (Craft-tastic): Maker of DIY craft kits (knitting, jewelry, pottery, loom crafts) under the Craft-tastic brand. Near-identical product type and target customer to Bright Stripes' Nimble Knitter and Wish*Craft lines.
• Lakeshore Learning: Educational craft and activity kits for kids sold via own stores, school-supply channels, and DTC. Comparable product category (kids' craft/learning kits) with strong teacher and parent brand trust.
• Djeco: French maker of whimsical, design-forward kids' craft and activity kits sold through specialty toy and gift retailers internationally. Closely comparable on aesthetic, product format (kit-based), and specialty retail channel.

Broad incumbents

• Melissa & Doug: Premium wooden toys and craft/activity sets for children, carried widely in bookstores, specialty, and mass retail. A broader incumbent with overlapping craft-adjacent categories and significantly greater scale and shelf presence.
• Crayola: Dominant incumb
• Faber-Castell: Global art supplies manufacturer with creative kits for children. Overlaps with Bright Stripes' iHeartArt art-supplies line and similar age range, but at materially larger scale and broader distribution.

Emerging players

• Tiny Heirloom (Crafty by Numbers / Made by Hackney): Direct-to-consumer craft kit brand focused on paint-by-numbers and art project kits for kids and adults. Comparable on product format (art kit), price points, and DTC-led distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCxluslQd3mtBm4fHSdfg6zQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/brightstripesco
• Instagraminstagram.com/brightstripesco
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bright-stripes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bright Stripes